Spring Flowers Blossom like the Crimson Tears of my Heart
by LovelessNobodyXIII
Summary: A decaying world ruined by a mad writer. A fallen hero possessed by a god who wields the power of sanity itself. A loud mouthed flower who has yet to learn its real identity. An FBI Agent who has discovered a mysterious gray jewel likely linked to the world's absent creator. With problems like these, how can a young demi-god trying to find his place in the world catch a break?
1. BATTESIMO DEL FUOCO

On a hill beneath the gray sky of a dying world, a red haired man in a red leather jacket with one black wing arching towards the heavens sat on a cold stone reading a book titled "Loveless". He looked up and smiled at the bald headed stranger who made his way towards him.

"How many times have you read that poem, old friend?" asked the Baldman.

"I never considered counting", said the red haired man. "There's no importance to that number".

"Hmph", said the Baldman. He stood in front of the other.

"You're no stranger, are you?" said the red haired man.

"You're no stranger to me", said the Baldman. " _Even if the morrow is barren of promises…"_

" _Nothing shall forestall my return_ ", The red haired man finished. "You've kept me waiting, Eli"

"I go by three names now, Genesis", said the Baldman. "One for each of my faces. This face is called Liquid Saitama."

"I thought you hated that name", said Genesis. "Liquid Snake."

"I don't care much for this body", said Liquid Saitama, flexing his right hand. "I thought it would be fitting to give it the title 'Liquid'".

"Ha ha!" said Genesis. "Though your voice is different, you sound very much like the Eli I know."

"And you haven't changed a bit", said Liquid Saitama. "Did you retrieve the Protajewels from my old body?"

"They're right here!" said Genesis, lifting the bag of Protajewels and giving it a shake.

"I could always count on you", said Liquid Saitama with a smile.

"I'm sure you noticed…" began Genesis, "that you were being followed."

"Of course", said Liquid Saitama. "They'll be on the hilltop with us in a matter of moments."

"Good", said Genesis, closing his book. "I was worried they'd keep us waiting."

"Nope", said Liquid Saitama. "They're here now. I'll put on a mask. We'll have some fun here."

"Which mask, friend?" asked Genesis. "Comedy? Or Tragedy?"

"That depends on whether you're us…" said Liquid Saitama. "Or them."

 **LOVELESS NOBODY XIII PRESENTS**

They peaked the hill, Jon Snow, Hodor, Macho Man Randy Savage, and Johnny Sins.

"Saitama!" said Jon Snow.

"Jon Snow!" said Liquid Saitama. "I haven't seen you in a while!"

"Saitama, what have you been doing?" Jon Snow asked.

"You know", said Saitama. "Trying to survive in this decaying world, same as you guys!"

"We saw the bodies", said Jon Snow. "Rose told us everything. She's worried that…" the sentence faded out. "They say that even Watson's gone mad, and that he's started building a new army of Skinwalkers. We sent Ringo and Korra to check up on him, but neither have returned."

"Watson will be dead in a matter of pages, in a story written two years ago", said Liquid Saitama.

"That's not Saitama", said Johnny Sins. "Not anymore"

"Hodor", said Hodor.

"Ha", said Liquid Saitama.

"YO, who are you, BR-OTHER?" Macho Man Randy Savage asked Genesis.

"Me?" asked Genesis. "I am but a random traveler! I saw this man having what seemed to be a panic attack on this hill, so I came to help."

"Jon Snow!" said Liquid Saitama, clutching his hands to his head. "Johnny Sins! Whoever you other two are! You've got to help me! The LotUS of Sanity, he… he's… AAARGH!" he screamed up to the sky in agony.

"Saitama!" said Jon Snow, approaching his old friend. He held Saitama by the shoulders. "Saitama, keep it together! Rose is waiting for you! And Kamina! We need you to hold on!"

"I'll try… to hold… on", said Saitama. Then his head snapped down to meet Jon Snow's gaze. Jon Snow saw a smile flash across his face, then felt a blaring pain burst right through his chest.

"Sai… ta… ma", Jon Snow struggled to say. He slowly looked down and saw that Saitama had punched his fist elbow deep through his chest. "No…" Jon Snow feebly drew his sword, Longclaw, but he found out that Saitama's arm was the only thing keeping him standing, and fell to the ground sideways as soon as it was removed, the sword clattering beyond his reach.

"NOOOOOOO!" Everyone shouted (except for Genesis, who was enjoying the show, and Hodor, who said "HODOR!")

Macho Man Randy Savage and Hodor barreled forward first, going at Saitama from both sides. Liquid Saitama grappled with Hodor and threw him to the side before delivering a flying uppercut to Macho Man Randy Savage, bruising but not killing him. When Liquid landed on the ground, Hodor was ready to grapple him from behind.

"My turn", said Genesis. He put away his book, stood up, drew his crimson sword, and swiftly decapitated Hodor. He licked his lips, enjoying the taste of the blood that sprinkled his face.

"SNAP INTO A SLIM-JIM!" Macho Man Randy Savage yelled before Liquid Saitama snapped his neck, then swiftly held out a hand to catch the blade of Longclaw.

"Valyrian… Steel!" Johnny Sins yelled.

"Is it?" said Liquid Saitama. He gripped the blade harder, and the immense pressure caused the blade to shatter in half.

"What?" said Johnny Sins.

"Valyrian Steel was about the only thing that could sever Saitama's arms…" said Liquid Saitama. "But I'm not Saitama." Liquid Saitama grabbed Johnny Sins's arm and pulled, firmly but slowly. Johnny Sins screamed as Liquid Saitama's pull slowly severed every tendon in his arm. The skin started to break, and Liquid Saitama pulled the arm clean off.

"You're 'One Fist Man' now", said Liquid Saitama with a smile, tossing away the severed arm.

"Damn you", said Johnny Sins.

"Tell the rest of your friends that Saitama is dead", said Liquid Saitama. "But if you don't… well, killing off Saitama's friends might end up becoming my favorite pastime." Johnny Sins scowled and stumbled away, holding onto the stump at his left shoulder.

"Sai…ta…ma…" Jon Snow sputtered, still lying sideways on the ground. Liquid Saitama looked at him, smirked, and walked over to him.

"You're pretty resilient", said Liquid Saitama as he placed a boot on Jon Snow's temple.

"Sai…ta…ma", Jon Snow said again, just before Liquid Saitama crushed his head

"Like an insect."

 **A CHRISTOPHER RANGEL FANFICTION**

Liquid Saitama scuffed his boot in the dirt to wipe away some of Jon Snow's brains. A wolf howled in the distance.

"What was that?" asked Genesis.

"Not a problem", said Liquid Saitama. "It knows not to mess with us."

"A shame", said Genesis. "I would have loved to mess with it."

"You may get your chance yet", said Liquid Saitama. "You fucking furry."

"Hey!" said Genesis. "Just because I've got a wing doesn't mean I'm a fucking furry. At most, I'm a Fury."

"Well don't get too furious", Liquid Saitama said, raising his hands.

"So what's next?" asked Genesis. Liquid Saitama cracked his knuckles.

"Now", said Liquid Saitama, "We punish God for His sins."

 **WINTER LEAVES LIKE A SON IN A PARADE BOOK II:**

 **SPRING FLOWERS BLOSSOM LIKE THE CRIMSON TEARS OF MY HEART**

Written by Christopher Rangel

 **CHAPTER 1:**

 **BATTESIMO DEL FUOCO**

 **Claudio**

Claudio-Sanchez Rangel walked through the burning wreckage of the world. "Where is that damn parade?" wondered Claudio. "Parade!" The only thing that responded was a roar in the distance. "The Skinless One." A shiver went down his spine. "He should leave me alone, but still… maybe I should go back." But he didn't. He kept trudging onwards.

Claudio looked to the sky. A few hours ago he had seen his father, the Godchris, ascend and disappear into the clouds, never to return (I am the Godchris. That's where I left the story). But he was still here. He shivered and moved ever forward.

"Get out of the way, Akira!" Claudio heard a boy shout.

"Huh?" said Claudio, and he followed the voice.

"Leave it alone, Ryo!" yelled another boy.

"Yeah, fuck off!" came another voice, older but… smaller? The voices were coming from a thicket of dead brambles. Claudio passed through into a very small clearing entirely surrounded by the brambles. At the center was a withering flower with a face, warped in exhausted anger.

"Ryo, if you face-fuck this flower it will die!" said the boy who, through process of elimination, was Akira.

"It's going to die anyways!" said Ryo. "Now get out of the way, Akira, or I'm going to fuck you, too!"

"Um, hi!" said Claudio. Everyone slowly turned to face him. Claudio waved another friendly hello. Akira waved back, until Ryo slapped his hand away.

"What is it?" asked Ryo. Claudio raised his eyebrows and looked at the ground.

"I don't know", said Claudio. "I was just walking by, and it sounded like you were about to… rape a flower?"

Ryo sneered. "You can't rape a flower", he said.

"Yes, you can!" exclaimed the flower. "If it's fucking sentient you absolutely can! Why, if I weren't so dehydrated this flower would be fucking kicking your ass, you pansy-ass bitch! Do you know who I am?! I'm FUCKING Flowey the Flower!"

"And I'll be FUCKING Flowey the Flower! I'm going to fill your mouth with my fucking cock!" exclaimed Ryo.

Claudio was feeling very uncomfortable. "Um…" he said. "Um…"

Akira just smiled. "He's always like this!"

"Uh-huh", said Claudio. He cleared his throat. "Alright, I'm gonna say you should step away from the flower."

"What gives you the right to say?!" exclaimed Ryo. "You're a kid, just like us!"

Claudio sighed and brushed a hand through his hair. "Just… just please leave the flower alone."

"No!"

"Fucking…" Claudio said under his breath. He stood next to Akira to protect Flowey and crossed his arms. Ryo sneered and feinted forward as if to fight. Akira flinched, but Claudio was unmoved.

"Fine!" said Ryo, taking out a lighter. "If I can't have that flower, no one can!" He threw the lighter into the brambles, which lit on fire immediately, grabbed Akira, and ran right out of the clearing.

"Fucking Christ!" exclaimed Flowey. "Are you fucking… help! Help!"

"I, uh…" said Claudio, looking between the way out and the flower in front of him. The fire was spreading so fast.

"Hey, get out of there!" he heard Akira yell.

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God", said Flowey.

"I…" said Claudio. _Godchrisdammit, I've gotta do something!_ "I have a plan!" he said to Flowey.

"Thank God!" said Flowey. Then Claudio threw himself on top of the flower. "Wait, this is your fucking plan?! We're both going to burn here!" Claudio said nothing, but closed his eyes and waited for it to pass.

Outside the inferno Akira and Ryo watched the flames.

"Holy shit", said Akira.

"I know, right?" said Ryo. "Marvelous"

"Ryo, that kid is fucking dead!"

"He shouldn't have gotten in my way", said Ryo. "And the only reason you're off the hook is because you're my best friend."

"Right", said Akira. "Thanks." They sat down and watched the flames and smoke rise, until it died down and the sky was a burning twilight.

"Nothing but cinders now", said Ryo. "We should keep moving."

"Right", said Akira. They started walking away. Akira looked back at the cinders with sadness, then surprise. "Ryo, look!" The cinders were starting to move, then stand up as a somewhat charred Claudio-Sanchez Rangel, with Flowey the Flower standing safely in his shadow.

"How?" said Ryo.

"How?" said Claudio. He took up a confident pose and said "I am the son of the Godchris." His confidence was broken with a smoky cough. "Oh, yeah, and I've got a Protajewel."

"A Protajewel!" said Ryo. "Fascinating."

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any water on you", said Flowey.

"Sorry, I drank the last drop earlier today", said Claudio.

"Of course you did…" Flowey muttered.

"But I can take you back to my village!" said Claudio. "We've got a well there!"

"How the fuck am I getting to your village?" asked Flowey.

"Hm…" said Claudio. He took out his empty bottle, filled it with dirt, and then placed Flowey in there.

"Ooo, you've still got some residual water in here!" said Flowey. "Ahhh…"

"You guys can come, too!" said Claudio. "If you're not heading anywhere in particular."

"Sure", said Akira.

"I guess", said Ryo.

"Be on your guard", said Claudio. "There are still some Twistedminds around this area, and recently people have started spotting a beast known as 'The Skinless One'"

"The Skinless One?" said Akira.

"A hulking beast with no skin that's been seen on the outskirts of our settlement, eating our Brahmin and other cattle", said Claudio. "I heard his cry earlier today, so I know he's still out there."

"I'm not afraid of it", said Ryo.

"Good", said Claudio. "We probably won't need to worry about it anyways." They started walking back towards Claudio's village, passing through decaying woods and arid plains beneath the dim light of the full moon behind the clouds.

"Here we are", Claudio said once they reached the gates. "Welcome to good ol' Woodwall!" He knocked on the wooden wall and the gatekeeper, Harry Potter, poked his head over the wall.

"Claudio!" said Harry. "You're back! I'll open the gate." The gate closed behind them as they entered the town.

"I'll plant you in front of my house", Claudio told Flowey, "and then I'll get some water for you."

"Is there anywhere for us to stay?" asked Akira.

"There should be room at my place", said Claudio, digging out a small hole in front of his small, one floor house. "I'm sure Mom won't mind." He put Flowey in the hole then went to the well for some water, brought it back, and poured it over the flower, letting it soak into the dead earth.

"Yeah, that's the spot", Flowey said, already starting to look a little more nourished.

Claudio opened the door. "Stay quiet, guys. Don't want to wake up Mom." He sniffed the air. "What's that smell."

"Its pretty bad", said Akira. Ryo just shrugged.

"Something is not right", said Claudio. He took a step forward and found that the floor was somewhat slippery. Something was spilled. He lit a lantern and looked at the floor. "Blood. And leading right to my parents' room." He swallowed hard and went for their room. The door was already open. He flashed the lantern inside. "Oh God." His mother, May from Pokemon, lay on the floor, an explosion of red viscera around where her head should have been.

"She was suffering", Harry Potter said from behind him, "and a walking corpse besides. It was all Zack Fair could do to put her out of that suffering." Claudio fell to his knees.

"I know", said Claudio. "I knew this was coming and I knew she was dead. But still…"

"She was a good woman", said Harry Potter. "She'll get a proper funeral."

The funeral was held the next day, as overcast as the day before but somehow drearier. She was buried just outside the village walls, and everyone was in attendance.

"What a God we have", Claudio heard someone mutter afterwards. "Escaping to a better world while his wife is dead and leaving his child alone here." Claudio clenched his fist. _There must have been a reason._

An inhuman scream cut through the respectful quiet, which was completely obliterated by the sound of an alarm and Harry Potter yelling "The Skinless One! The Skinless One!" Everyone ran to get their arms. Claudio ran into his house and grabbed his mother May's sword, Vermilious. _This is mine now._ He also grabbed the Pokeballs that held Mudkip and Blaziken.

"We'll just hang out around here", said Akira.

"Alright", said Claudio. He looked at Ryo. "Leave the flower alone." Ryo rolled his eyes and nodded. The next moment, there was a great crash and something that was a terrible sound. Claudio looked to see that one of the walls had collapsed, and that was when he got his first glimpse of The Skinless One, a massive, skinless, mutant humanoid with mighty claws and sinew that glittered in the obscure Sun. The crowd was hesitant to attack, intimidated by its form and reputation. Amidst the inaction a man in a black hoody emerged and confronted the beast. The Skinless One screamed at the stranger, who, merely in return, slapped him on the nose, causing him to run away.

"Hey, who are you?" Adam Sandler called to the stranger. He merely looked back at the crowd, then walked away, without anyone getting any glimpse as to his identity.

"Shit!" said the mayor, Rick from _The Walking Dead_. "We're gonna have to rebuild that fucking wall now, and fast. Also we're gonna need someone to go out and make sure that monster gets dead. Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it!" said Claudio-Sanchez, raising Vermilious into the sky.

"Son of God, make us proud!" said Rick.

"We're coming, too!" Akira said, also speaking for Ryo.

"Hey, can you take your fucking annoying talking flower with you?" asked Harry Potter.

"Fuck you!" said Flowey, but ultimately they had to carry him along as well, since everyone agreed that he was annoying as fuck. So the party stepped forth, over the wreck of the ruined wall and onto the rampant path of destruction The Skinless One had left in its wake.

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. THE THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE

**SPRING FLOWERS BLOSSOM LIKE THE CRIMSON TEARS OF MY HEART**

Written by Christopher Rangel

 **CHAPTER 2:**

 **THE THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE**

 **Claudio**

 _I've made a huge mistake_ , Claudio thought to himself as he started running out of breath, not a mile into his journey. _There's no way I can kill this thing, even with these assholes. Godchris, why did I bring them along with me?_

"Gosh, what a lovely day for a walk!" Akira said, brushing his hand through a number of low branches and inadvertently snapping each one. The dry, leaf covered ground crunched and scuffed beneath their feet.

"What were you guys doing out there, anyways?" Claudio asked.

"London's in chaos", Ryo said simply. "We had to get out of there."

"So you're from London too, then", said Claudio. He smiled sadly. "I'm surprised it took this long for you guys to get out of there."

"When did you leave?" asked Akira.

"Once the world really started decaying", began Claudio, "Dad decided it would be best to move to the countryside, which turned out to have reverted to a dangerous frontier filled with walled villages and vicious beasts, but after what was happening in London we decided we'd take our chances and settled in Woodwall. I imagine it must be worse now."

Akira nodded. "The Death Cults have basically taken control of the city, preaching that the world will only get better if more of us die. There are executions across the city every day to try and reach this goal. Some of the executed are volunteers who believe in the cause. The rest are involuntary, dragged out of their homes, away from their families. No one is safe. That's why we had to get out of there." Ryo just squinted his eyes in disgust. Claudio clenched his fist.

"Kill or be killed", Flowey said from Claudio's backpack. "That's the way it goes in this dying world."

"Even in a dying world, there should still be the choice of life, of living", said Claudio. As the son of the world's creator, he felt a responsibility to do something about it, but he couldn't figure a way.

The team continued walking in silence, over gnarled roots and skeletal remains, and yet they encountered no Twistedminds, and The Skinless One's trail seemed to go on forever.

"We must be near its dwelling, don't you think?" Akira asked.

"I want to believe", Claudio said, half under his breath. The trail The Skinless One had left was relatively easy to follow, since it was a line of fallen trees and broken branches leading right through the heart of the forest, dead and dry as Winter.

 _What's that up ahead?_ Claudio wondered as he saw a mass of light, suggesting a clearing in the woods. Claudio nearly lost his breath once they passed the forest threshold.

"What happened here?" asked Akira.

"Nothing good", said Ryo. "Let's check it out."

They had, in fact, passed into a clearing in the forest. At the center, there was just a tree, cracked and barely standing. Much of the ground was collapsed around it, with moss covered remains of scientific equipment poking out from beneath the dirt.

"The trail leads down there", said Claudio. "We should be fine if we slide down."

"I've got a bad feeling about this", Flowey said, poking out from Claudio's backpack.

"It'll be fine", Claudio said as he sat at the edge of the pit and let himself slide to the bottom, with Akira and Ryo following behind him.

"What the hell?" Claudio wondered as he saw a number of shattered glass containers in front of him, large enough for a person to fit in but completely empty.

"What's down here?" Akira asked, standing by a dark tunnel burrowed into the side of the hollow.

"The Skinless One", Claudio said, noticing the impressions on the ground suggesting inhumanly heavy footsteps. He drew his sword, Vermilious. "You two stand guard out here, in case any Twistedminds come around. I'm going in."

"Alright!" said Akira, giving a brief salute. Ryo crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, let's show this asshole who's boss!" Flowey said.

"Quiet", Claudio hushed. "If it's there, we don't want to alert it."

"Huh, fine", said Flowey. "I'll shut the fuck up now." Sword in hand and flower on back, Claudio entered the tunnel.

The sunlight lit his way for a good hundred feet before he hit a solid wall of darkness.

"Come on", Claudio said, trying to channel some of his energy into Vermilious. "Yes!" He succeeded, and a dim red glow emitted from the blade, just bright enough to make the way ahead partially visible. He crept on ahead, hesitation in every step from that point on, a fight against the urge to head back in the other direction. _How much further does this go on?_ His heart was pounding, his breathing contained but intense.

"Hey", Flowey whispered, "Do you think you can go any slower? Jeez…"

"If you had legs you'd understand", Claudio responded.

"Just wait until I'm back to normal health", Flowey said.

"You'll grow legs?"

"Well, no, but… OW, JESUS!" Claudio was shoved and held against the wall, pressing Flowey right against it in a most painful manner. A hand was held against Claudio's mouth, and Claudio tried to slash at his assailant, but his sword seemed to bounce right off of him.

"I'm gonna take my hand off of your mouth…" whispered a deep, masculine voice, "and you're going to speak quietly."

"MmmKmm", Claudio mumbled, tensing his neck in a way that suggested he'd be nodding if his head weren't being pushed against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the man asked, removing his hand from Claudio's mouth.

"Chasing The Skinless One", said Claudio. He could see the dark, mysterious face scowl in the darkness.

"You shouldn't have come here", he said. "You should have left him alone"

"Him?" said Claudio, then a hideous scream broke out through the cavern, identical to the one Claudio had heard at Woodwall.

"Sweet Christmas", said the man. "Don't do anything." He let go of Claudio and turned around.

"It's alright!" he called into the darkness. "They're on their way ou-" in the dim glow of Vermilious Claudio saw the man get thrown against a wall like he was cardboard.

"Fuck!" exclaimed Claudio, and he dashed towards the cave's exit. Behind, he could hear The Skinless One giving chase through the shadow. Claudio did his best to stay afoot while the uneven floor of the cave gave him stumble after stumble, but never a fall. There were several times where it would slow down while within reach of Claudio, and the sounds it was making almost sounded like it was trying to sing… _Beatles songs?_

"REEE AWWW WIIIIV IIN EEEELOOOO SMAAAAARN!" it seemed to scream (we all live in a yellow submarine?)

 _Its toying with me_ , Claudio thought as light broke into the cave.

"Holy shit, its way too close!" Flowey complained. They emerged into the light, and Claudio turned right around with his sword drawn.

"Did you do it?" Ryo asked.

"No he did not", Akira said as The Skinless One leapt out of the cave. "Holy shit!"

"RRRAAAAWWWWRRR!" it screamed, then swept his mighty claws at Claudio, who jumped back just in time.

"Hey, leave us alone!" Akira demanded, standing between his friends and The Skinless One with open, 'come and get me, punk!', arms.

"Akira, get out of the way!" Claudio said. Akira did this with the help of the Skinless One's arm smacking him on the side, sending him flying about ten feet away, where he lay prone and nearly unconscious.

"Son of a bitch!" said Claudio, as he charged forward, while Ryo reached behind his back and pulled an assault rifle out of the white cloak he was wearing.

"Yeah, get him!" said Flowey. "I've got your back!" Claudio screamed as he leapt into the air, sword arcing downwards towards his opponent, and was caught with one giant hand before he could do any damage.

"Dammit", Claudio said.

"Ya fucked it!" confirmed Flowey. But Claudio could feel something strange in the hand that held it, a pained sort of twitching, as if the skinless hand hurt holding something.

"Eat lead, motherfucker!" Ryo yelled. "Nobody touches Akira but me, you got that? Nobody!" He opened fire on The Skinless One, when all of a sudden the mysterious man in a hoody jumped in front of it and took all the bullets.

"Stop!" Claudio yelled, but Ryo didn't listen. He was just unloading his bullets on the man now, as he started walking towards him.

"Why aren't you dead?" Ryo asked as the man took his gun away from him. The face beneath the hood just scowled, then turned back to The Skinless One.

"Put him down!" Commanded the man. The Skinless One responded by just screaming at him. "I said put the kid down, Ringo!" Claudio could feel The Skinless One's muscles slack in guilt, and a moment later he was placed softly on the ground. Claudio scrambled forward, fell, then crawled on his back, keeping an eye on the monster. Once he was far enough away, he just sat, his breathing out of control. From the side of his vision, a dark skinned hand had extended, offering to help him up. He took the offer and was back on his shaky two legs.

"Thanks", Claudio huffed.

"Don't mention it", said the man. "Now, you all should probably get on home. It isn't safe out here."

"We're not leaving until that thing is dead!" said Ryo.

"You're not killing him on my watch", said the man as he walked towards Akira, helping him up as well. "And he's a him, not an it."

"You called him Ringo", remembered Claudio. The man nodded.

"That's his name", said the man. "He used to look as human as you or me, before he lost his skin." The gears in Claudio's head started working.

"Wait, you didn't mean Ringo as in Ringo Starr, did you?"

"Like I said, that's his name", said the man, taking off his hood. "And I'm his protector, Luke Cage." He laughed. "I was given the title of 'The Unskinnable One' by the Skinwalkers during The Great Skinwalker War, since my skin was impervious to bullets and couldn't be removed by their powers, and now here I am watching over someone people have taken to calling The Skinless One"

"I heard that Ringo Starr died a little while ago, after John Watson and his Fleshrunners took his skin."

"They took his skin but not his life", said Luke Cage. "After what Skinwalker scientists did to him at this very site, removing his skin would only unleash his true powers."

"What did they do to him here?" asked Claudio.

"Have you heard of the Monstar Virus?"

"I… feel like I have", said Claudio. "But I know I've never heard anyone say it before."

"You're not Claudio Sanchez, are you?" asked Luke Cage.

"No", said Claudio-Sanchez Rangel, "I was just named after him." Luke Cage nodded slowly.

"Alright", said Luke Cage. "I'll buy. Anyways, the Monstar Project was a secret project run by the underground Skinwalker forces around the time of the Spongecum Incident. They were looking to make massive skinless and mindless drones to fight for them during the war." He looked the other three in the eye. "And Ringo and I were the ones sent to investigate and shut it all down."

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


End file.
